Industrial automation versus the man-machine route

Plc systems operate in two ways: Industrial automation or a human-machine interface. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, and which is used will largely depend on the processes being used.

With industrial automation, industrial plc systems (programmable logic control) are used in conjunction with IT applications such as CAD (computer aided technology) to control industrial processes, automate factory machinery etc. This speeds up production and reduces human intervention. With industrial automation, there is a constant flow of productivity, day and night.

The globalising economy is increasingly reliant upon industrial automation, with more sophisticated and complex plc systems being created to run multiple processes, without the need for human intervention.

However, there are still many industrial applications where a human-machine interface is essential. However sophisticated the industrial automation programming is, it cannot currently replace the unique pattern and language recognition skills of the human mind. Nor can automation undertake the subjective assessment of complicated sensory data, or undertake strategic exercises in planning and project administration.  In many cases, HMI operation is more cost-effective than industrial automation, even where both are possible.

Plc systems can allow for both man-machine integration and automation within the same industrial applications.  The specially programmed hardware synchronises the input flow from physical sensors with output feed to actuators and events, with some of those outputs going to human-machine interfaces. In this way you can have regulated industrial processes, with a guaranteed fail-safe mechanism.

At Iconsys we specialise in both automated and human integrated control systems for a wide range of industrial applications.

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